


Sesshomaru's Secret

by Alucardchick101



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Naruto
Genre: F/M, Protective Kurama, Protective Kyuubi, Secrets, Sesshomaru's past relationship, Suffering
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 16:18:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15147005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alucardchick101/pseuds/Alucardchick101
Summary: Inuyasha finds a picture in Sesshomaru's armor. Everyone is wanting to know who the blonde girl is in the photo. Myouga wants Sesshomaru to be over this already. Sesshomaru wants everyone to mind their own business.





	1. The photo

He was being questioned. Being the Lord of his lands, he didn't have to bare the annoyance of being bombarded with questions like he was a mere pup; his servants and subjects knew better than to doubt him. He knew that some form of change was going to be taken place after Naraku was dead; but he didn't like this type of change. There was a reason he roamed his lands other than to patrol, he couldn't stand socializing more than what was completely necessary. Rin had dragged him straight to the small village where his half brother had settled down with the miko; Sesshomaru had the full intention of leaving the small girl to be around the humans. However, the idea was quickly forced from his head when his ward and the miko dragged him to the hut where everyone else in Inuyashas rag-tag group resided.

"Come on, Sesshomaru!" Rin shook his arm with a small grin, her small hands clutching surprisingly hard to the fabric of his sleeve. He itched to yank his arm away from her grasp, her clinginess usually didn't make him feel this uncomfortable. Then again, his idiot of a younger brother usually didn't prowl through his belongings. Although, Sesshomaru should have known that removing his armor and Yukata was the most idiotic thing he could have possibly have done around his hanyou of a brother. He had originally took off the Armor due to his clothing being wet where Rin had paired up with the fox kit to 'prank' him with a pale of water. Inuyasha decided to be nosey when he fumbled with the metal and Sesshomaru hadn't thought twice about it until...

"Who's in the picture?!"

Inuyasha held the thin piece of paper in between his claws as his golden eyes squinted at the faded ink. The picture was barely half the size of Inuyasha's hand and he would have never have found it if he hadn't kicked his older brothers armor by accident. If the faded ink wasn't a clue to how old the image was, then the crumpled worn edges and the clear signs of how many times the paper had been folded repeatedly spoke volumes. It was obvious the photo, despite its worn appearance, was cared for; so why in the hell is it tucked inside Sesshomaru's armor?!

Inuyasha could make out his brothers stiff form in the photo and his ever-present mask of indifference. His silver hair was tied up in a samurai-styled knot on top of his head and his clothes looked more like the type that was seen in Kagome's time. What really seemed to interest everyone at the moment, though, was the figure who had their arms wrapped around the demons neck and was alarmingly close to the mans person; personal space didn't seem to be a issue. Inuyasha maybe a tad slow on picking up on such things, but despite the person wearing clothes more fitted for a man, this was irrefutably a woman who didn't lack in the department of curves. Her face was blurred to the point that facial features was unidentifiable, much to the room occupants irritation.

Sesshomaru clenched his jaw as the dark haired priest snatched the paper from his younger brothers fingers. He didn't have to lift a finger, though, when the miko hit the man rather harshly in the head. "Careful! You're going to rip it apart with how rough you're being!" She was gently as she pried the picture from his hands and Sesshomaru felt his jaw loosen. The miko must have noticed the tension in his shoulders, his eyes iced over more than they had been in the past two months.

"You're family now, Sesshomaru, like it or not." Kagome smiled as Sango bobbed her head in agreement, noticing the tension in the demon Lords shoulders as well. "And family has to look out for each other."

Sesshomaru bit his tongue as Kagomes words triggered a familiar saying that was preached to him:

Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum.

He gritted his teeth in annoyance; how it was relevant to the miko's words was unknown. He was uncertain if he considered the people before him as friends... Let alone family; Inuyasha was a exception. The silvered haired hanyou wasn't as horrid as Sesshomaru first thought him to be, but there was still much work to be done for him to be considered capable of with holding the title of being the son of the Great Dog General. It would never be admitted aloud in any circumstance, but the dog demon considered Inuyasha a... dece- ok... brother. His hatred over the years was ill-placed and childish in mild terms. He wasn't going to apologize aloud for his attitude towards the hanyou, because it was unbecoming of a lord; but he could ease up on the half-breed. He was surprised that Inuyasha wasn't up in his face demanding answers.

There was no telling how many memories this situation was going to rip from the recesses of his mind, it all needed to stay buried.

People become stronger because they have memories they can't forget.

Sesshomaru leaned his back against the beam that helped support the hut, his head already pounding with buried memories he wanted to stay unearthed. He saw the curious stares still focused on his being and Rin's seemed to burn the most as she climbed into his lap.

Sesshomaru opened his mouth, prepared with the response of 'she bares no importance as she is no longer among the living', but the words formed a clot in his throat. That one simple sentence was all he needed to end the whole conversation and save himself from those memories... But it wasn't as simple as he wanted to make it out to be.

"She's dead."

Myouga deemed it his place to help fill in the group once he saw the look cross briefly along Sesshomaru's face. But the flea flinched as he realized the harshness those words took on and he immediately averted his gaze from the silver-haired lord. He had been waiting years to pass along the information on to someone who bared some positive relation to Sesshomaru... This was the perfect chance and the flea refused to bypass it. He knew Inutaisho would want his eldest son to move on from the past, and allowing others to know of the dog demons loss was a step towards healing; or at least, that's what the old flea had heard.

The two words set off a melancholy mood across the room that had Rin clutch tighter to her lords clothing despite it being still damp. Shippo held the fur of his tail as he adjusted himself in Kagome's lap. He frowned when he looked over at Rin to see her pretty dark brown eyes slowly filling with tears; she was prettier with a smile.

"Who was she?" Sango's voice barely reached above a soft whisper as her eyes took on a look that made Sesshomaru scowl. He didn't need the annoyance of a flea seeing himself justified to speak up for him, his mouth worked just fine. "She's dead, ningen. There is nothing for you to know."

Inuyasha's ears involuntarily flattened at the unexpected harshness in his brothers tone. The past few months after Narakus' defeat, Sesshomaru hadn't been a complete ass and showed some emotion in his voice. He was still considered stoic in his expression, but little hints peaked through of his personality slipping through; looks like all that hard work back tracked about eleven steps.

"This Sesshomaru's business is not your own." Mentally, the lord winced at falling back into third person. He had been trying to kick that habit for several centuries now because it was improper for a lord to speak so foolishly. The habit had started a long time ago when...

Sesshomaru shook his head as he stood to his feet, forcing Rin from his lap. He wasn't about to go down that road... He refused to go down that road. He clenched his fists with the most microscopic frowns a person could master as the intense urge to grab the piece of paper made his fingers tingled at the mere thought. It had been four years since he had last laid his eyes on that photo and the opportunity to memorize the details of the image burned at his senses. Maybe just a peek would... no, he had vowed to himself to not look at the photo again... Parting with the paper was absolutely out of the question. Sesshomaru had lived for five centuries, that photo had been taken two-hundred years ago and he really didn't want to admit it... but he could barely remember the vivid details that he had used to admire religiously. He didn't want to forget... by kami, everything else was already gone; he needed to keep at least one kind of memento to prove that wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

He scowled as he focused on moving his feet so he wouldn't do anything he would regret. He only needed a few hours by a creek and the memories would be tucked safely back into their buried chambers. He would be able to retrieve the photograph with a clear conscious and not be torn to view the inked image once he returned.

Inuyasha watched as his brother did the equivalent of a child's tantrum as he walked out of the hut. The out of character action made a bolt of pity and sympathy go through the hanyou's body because he realized the agony of losing a loved one. He didn't know who the mystery girl was or her relation to his older brother, but she seemed like she had managed to capture some form of affection from the stoic demon; that was a major accomplishment that no one except Rin had managed to complete. Which is kind of depressing when Inuyasha though about it; Sesshomaru had been alive for half a millennia and had, to his knowledge, only cared for... two people.

"I didn't mean to upset him." Sango frowned as she played with the ring on her finger. Her curiosity came on strong on this certain topic and the urge to learn something new about the Lord of the West was all-consuming, but she should have had better control over herself than that.

"No. Don't apologize." Myouga jumped up on to the hunter's knee, landing smoothly. "Sesshomaru has had his time of silent grief, its time for him to get over it; that's why I intervened earlier."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the flea demons words. That.. was really harsh. Kami, if it was anything else Sesshomaru was upset about, Inuyasha wouldn't have been bothered by it. But Myouga was basically saying it was wrong for the demon lord to grieve for the death of a loved one. What the hell?

"If Sesshomaru wants to grieve over the girl's death, let him. You can't just 'get over it' when someone you care about dies, ya dam pest."

Kagome nodded in agreement as she gripped on to the fire rat's fabric in a attempt to make sure that the hanyou didn't do anything rash. Myouga did seem to be really heartless on this matter.

Myouga sighed as he realized how this all may look, but everything would be explained. "Sesshomaru is the lord of the west and is five-hundred years old; he doesn't have time to mourn a lady that died two centuries ago. It doesn't help that he possesses no heir to secure the stability of the West. A Lord has at least one mate and child before they reach Sesshomaru's age. He needs to get himself together and take a mate by the next festival or he will be stripped of his title."

Kagome frowned, was that Myouga saying that? Or was there other people planning on taking away Sesshomaru's position? Either way, it all sounded like a horrid situation. Inuyasha seem to think the same since he was growling low in his throat as he glared daggers at the small flea with his silver ears pulled back.

"You can't force someone to find a mate within that short of time! The next festival is in four months! Once a demon mates, its for life! You know this, Myouga." Inuyasha snapped as he clenched his fists. This was one of those full fledged demon traditions Inuyasha despises; full demons were expected to find a mate by a certain allotted time; especially for royalty. It usually took decades to find a true mate, so some full demons took in a partner until they could find their other half. Was that girl Sesshomaru's true mate? The word mate and Sesshomaru put together didn't seem likely in his mind; mostly with how stoic and prideful the demon was. But he knew for certain that Sesshomaru wouldn't take anyone as a life partner if it wasn't his mate.

"Did you know the girl in the photo, Myouga?" Rin wrapped her arms around her knees, feeling sad for her Lord Sesshomaru. She hadn't really lost anyone really, really important to her; but she knew if she lost Lord Sesshomaru, she would be heartbroken. Was that why Lord Sesshomaru never smiled? He was sad the entire time. She clenched her hands on her knees before wiping her cheeks. She would make him the best-est flower crown ever then! Flowers always made her happy, it had to work for Lord Sesshomaru too!

"No, not personally. Sesshomaru stayed with the girl for five years in her home village, only returning to the Palace when Inutaisho would call for him. In the times he was here, he didn't speak that much of her. It seemed Sesshomaru spoke mostly to Inutaisho about her; however limited it was, it had caught his attention at how Sesshomaru was spending all his time at this village. Inutaisho allowed him to have his distance, knowing the pressures of being heir, but it wasn't long before he was wanting to meet the girl himself." Myouga sighed as he recalled the strange gleam in Intaisho's eyes when he spoke of the situation, he still didn't know what that was. "However, after calling Sesshomaru back for a battle with panther demons over land rights, we found out through Sesshomaru that the girl had passed away in his absence. He resented Intaisho after that for calling him away to a 'meaningless battle'."

"So she was a human? Sesshomaru hates humans." Inuyasha muttered the last part under his breath as he crossed his arms.

"Yes, to my knowledge, she was a full-fledged human. I don't know what Sesshomaru saw in her, but he has been licking his wounds for too long. He needs a mate or Inutaisho's legacy of the throne will be overthrown. I can't allow that to happen."

Shippo grabbed Rin's hand in his as he stood up. "Come on. We can go look for Sesshomaru." The sad atmosphere was getting a bit too much for him.

"Lets go to the field with all the pretty flowers!" Shippo didn't have time to blink before he was being yanked out of the hut and forced into a sprint with the ravenette gripping his wrist tightly in her excitement. He didn't think she would turn down seeing Sesshomaru, but maybe she didn't want to see him now because she knew he was sad. It was a possibility.

"Stay within the treeline, you guys!" Sango shouted after the kids with a frown. Kids didn't need their minds emerged in sad situations anyway.

"I'm going to go keep an eye on them." Kagome stood up as she patted her clothes free of dirt. Even with Naraku gone, it didn't eliminate all the demons that wished to do harm. She wasn't about to test the kids safety.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since finding the photograph, it took three days for Sesshomaru to come back around the village, much to Rin's dismay. Inuyasha had been insistent on allowing his brother the time alone, that he would come back on his own. When the silver-haired demon lord entered the hut again, it was a silent agreement among everyone to not bring up the woman; it did take threatening Myouga to get him to keep his mouth shut, but he eventually did. It didn't stop the glances of sympathy and pity being aimed at the dog demon, though. The fact that Sesshomaru caught every single one cast his way, and he knew why it was being given, it undoubtedly pissed him off to the point that even his beast was starting to stir in irritation. He didn't want or need anything from the humans, the assholic flea, or his incompetent half breed of a brother; he had made it thus far. He was not a sniveling invalid who needed his hand held in solace.

"Hey, Sesshomaru." Kagome paused as she shifted through her bag. Sesshomaru glanced over at her from where he laid against the large oak tree the Miko had noticed he had silently claimed it as his own. He wasn't certain how she had found him, considering he was a fair distance from the village and in the more dense area of the forest. She dropped her heavily yellow bag to dig further down inside of it causing the demon to wonder exactly how much she managed to cram down into its interior. She pulled out a small book before opening it up quickly when she saw she had his attention. He blinked as she held out a familiar rectangle shaped piece of paper.

"I-I hope you don't mind, but I had your picture lamented. It doesn't hurt it or anything; It will take a lot more for it to be damaged and will make it last longer through the years."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes as he grabbed the old picture from her hands. He had never bothered to ask for the picture back after it being found; mostly because he knew if it landed back into his hands, he wouldn't stop himself from looking back into the past. While he was a well educated man, he didn't know what 'lamented' meant; but as he looked at the photo, he could see the differences. While the picture still had its worn out crease folds, the yellow tint, and torn edges, it felt a lot more stiffer and durable with a more glossy appearance. After absently rubbing his thumb across the smooth surface, he decided it wasn't that bad of a change. He felt his eyes immediately trail over the slowly fading colors of the image. The dull ache in his chest made him hold his breath as the blurred out face of the woman was replaced with vivid details that slowly caused his vision obscured.

Kagome started to return her books back to the proper order inside her bag, trying to ignore the fogged over gaze that he had slipped into. In a way, she knew what it was like to lose a loved one; she had lost her father when she was little after all. However, it was when she was small so it didn't really take effect that much on her considering her memories were few and far between for her dad. It had been a task to send the picture through the well paired with a letter asking her mother to fix the photograph since she could no longer cross through to her home. If she hadn't had the image lamented, it probably wouldn't have lasted another decade with all the battles Sesshomaru goes through. She wasn't sure how it had made it this long in its current condition; the Lord of the West must have really been taking care of it.

"You have my gratitude, Miko."

If it had not been for the deep baritone of his voice, she doubted she would have caught his quiet words. She smiled as she looked up at him. She hadn't expected to be thanked, at least not that way. Maybe a nod of the head, but not actually being thanked verbally. She felt her smile fade slightly as she looked down at her bag.

"Can I ask you a question?" The words was coming out of her mouth before she could stop them making her pale. Sesshomaru's only movement was to look away from the photo. Kagome sighed as she gripped her bag straps in a failed attempt to calm her nerves. "How did the photo get taken? The technology to create images like that hasn't even been invented yet, at least to my knowledge." Her question sounded innocent enough, but it could still manage to hit a sore spot.

Sesshomaru tucked the photo inside his Yukata against the armored chest plate so it wouldn't fall; he didn't want to take the chance of it falling out with his movements if it was held by his armor alone. He saw how Kagome's skin paled, her tightened grip around her bag, and the scent of nervousness and fear making his nose twitch. It wasn't a bad question… At least, there was more invading questions that could have been asked. He supposed he could indulge the miko a little since she had fixed his possession without being asked, or expecting something drastic in return. Usually, when a favor was owed by a Lord towards the lower class, outrageous requests was asked of the nobility.

"The village was one of the five that were so well hidden that it was difficult for anyone, other than the residents to find; so they are not well known. Their economy was vastly different from anything like I've ever seen."

He thought back to the devices that he seen plugged inside people's ears with small black boxes so they could communicate at longer distances. At the time, he hadn't cared about integrating the technology into his lands… Well, his father's lands. His thoughts and attention revolved around one thing only… And it wasn't about improving the West's economy.

"Do the villages still exist?"

"This Sesshomaru hasn't visited the hidden villages in nearly two centuries; but rumors have spoken of their fall. Although, this Sesshomaru can not say if those words hold any truth." His jaw tightened as he realized he spoke in third person once more. This would be the last time he allowed himself to speak so poorly, a Lord had to show their refined education in every aspect, anything less was unacceptable.

"Oh. I see." Kagome muttered as she started to head back on the path she arrived by. She had to go help Sango and Kaede cook dinner soon; she didn't want to leave the task to burden them. Inuyasha and Shippo had been eating more and more lately so cooking as much food as possible was for the best. She knew she should have kept walking, to allow the demon to rest without pushing him in a corner, but the nagging voice in her head wouldn't let her just leave without saying something.

"It's okay to grieve, you know? Holding it all in just hurts yourself; i'm sure the pretty blonde lady wouldn't want to see you suffering." Maybe the voice in her head knew she would never had the courage to look him in the eye and say that, that's why it was pressured from her lips once she was a safe distance away. She felt chills on the back of her neck as expected him to lash out at the topic being brought up, but after a few steps, nothing was happening. She didn't have the guts to glance behind her to see his reaction; her only thought was to hurry back to the village before the Demon Lord decided he had tolerated her presence enough.

Sesshomaru watched as the ravenette was swallowed by the surrounding woods, his chest burning where the photo was pressed. It wasn't just simply grieving. He had used to believe that the wounds he gained in spars against his father, and the battles he followed the great dog demon into, was the worst kind of pain man could endure. But now, it paled in comparison to the agony in his chest, a heavy weight that made it hard to breathe or even think straight; No amount of rubbing, sleeping, or medicine made it ease.

Closing his eyes, she was always there, smiling and rambling on some insignificant matter that she made seem major with how her eyes narrowed, petite hands moving erratically with her words. From the lack of sleep or his deep rooted grief, he couldn't tell, but his mind always played the cruelest of tricks. It had started it out simple, catching a scent like hers, a glimpse of blonde hair; then it turned into hearing her call out to him, her laughing. Nights when he could convince his body and mind to start to shut down, he would be jolted awake by petite hands running through his hair, nothing but the forest as his company. His mother, Inukimi, believed her death was driving him mad... he couldn't refute the claim. Inukimi hired a talented witch to block his memories to 'ease the pain and take away the burden' as she had said. He wouldn't have known what was going to happen if it hadn't been for one of the loyal servants at the palace giving him a few tip-offs beforehand... apparently, it was in his best interest to not be aware that a witch was going to go through his memories and practically removing them. Him and his beast hadn't been on the best of terms with Inukimi since then.

That was another thing.

His beast went dormant not long after he had received the news of her death. He was there... Just unresponsive. Sesshomaru couldn't tell if he was sleeping or just silently watching, grieving. It really didn't matter that much, he could still shift into his true demonic dog form without him; but his once impeccable senses had dulled to pathetic levels. A demon wasn't considered 'whole' unless he had two things: a responsive beast and a mate. To be considered 'unwhole' was a serious offense in the demonic community; not finding a mate quite yet was more understandable than his beast being dormant. The lords already knew he was unmated, it had already been thrown in his face more than he could count, but if they found out that his beast wasn't active... his fathers lands would be sold off to one of the heirs in line for the thrones in the East, South, or North... possibly even divided it up between them all. No matter how much him and his father didn't quite see eye to eye, he couldn't allow his lands to be dealt out like that, a 'toy' to be pulled apart for power and greed.

Besides, she would have never forgiven him if he allowed his fathers legacy to fall away to tainted hands. Unconsciously, he rubbed the smooth metal of his armor where the photo had been tucked away beneath his yukata. The council- that included the lords of the east, north, and south as well as several others- had decided that until Sesshomaru could find a proper mate and bare a heir that ensured the thrones safety, Inukimi would hold reign over it. He had a limited time to do all this considering he had avoided it all together for so long; if it wasn't done, he would lose the rights to the throne. It annoyed him greatly that other rulers believed they had a say in when he needed a mate and heir; his lands bared no importance to them in that sense, their only concern should be the boundary they were leaping over with water behind their ears. Sesshomaru had already decided he wasn't going to take a mate, definitely not for the councils intentions. He would find a loop hole before his time ran out, somewhere written in his fathers messy handwriting was a scroll in the private library that could pull him out of this hole... There had to be a way. Now, he just had to find it.

But first, he had to find a way to repay the miko for taking good care of his possession...somehow.  
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Shippo laid his empty bowl down on his lap, feeling his stomach give a pleasing roll; it was his twelfth bowl of chicken soup. He didn't know how much Inuyasha had eaten but the hanyou, without a doubt, had no right to judge his appetite. He noticed he had been eating a lot more than he could usually handle; but he brushed it off as Kagome´s cooking was just too good to let go to waste. Inuyasha had been growing angry with him because he was ´eating all the food´; but the girls had been doing a great job at making a variety of foods for everyone in the hut to eat.

¨Shippo, will you help Rin with the dishes tonight? I have to go check on the clothes.¨ Sango asked as she started to clear up the bowls around the fire that everyone had left laying around.

Inuyasha´s ears twitched as the fox kit chirped his reply before running off the short distance to the streams, arms full of bowls and plates; Rin following along with her own dishes to carry, although much less than what Shippo was holding. He didn´t see where the kids pulled there energy from, but he knew he needed it. After the fight with Naraku, he always felt too tired to do anything; Miroku just called him lazy. Even though it had been about a week since he had last spoken to Myouga, the last time being when the flea had been explaining Sesshomaru´s situation, he couldn´t calm his temper on the matter. He didn´t see how his brother wasn´t trying to massacre the lords and everyone else that set up the ridiculous decree that he had such little time to take a mate. He hadn´t spoken to Sesshomaru since finding the photo, but he planned on hunting him down soon; He couldn´t just stand by and let his brother randomly pick a mate that was for life... no matter how much of a bastard the demon lord was. There had to be a way to outmaneuver the other self-entitled assholes who thought that they could just forced a demon to hand-pick a mate like they were just a simple accessory. There was a reason it took so long for demons to find their mates, you couldn´t just point to the nearest female and say it was your true mate; it didn´t work that way. Demons are born with a beast, no matter what species. These beasts already have one set imprint on a soul, who is their mate, before they are even born. It was rumored that the Moon Goddess was the one to help match and pair beasts with a person that matched what the demon needed; a gift from the Moon Goddess for her children. Mates was considered a huge thing in demonic society, treasured; to throw away the opportunity to be with their other half was considered a serious offense... it was something even evil demons could agree on... something that Naraku had agreed on strongly.

Inuyasha didn´t know if half-breeds received a mate or not; but he was okay with that considering he already had his eye on his intended. He just needed to find a way to show her his intentions without ruining anything in their relationship...

Anyways, he had to first make sure his older brother wasn´t to make the biggest mistake of his life by listening to the council.


	3. Chapter 3

_"Sesshomaru..." He felt his ears twitch at the sound of his father's voice. He didn't want to turn around and have this conversation; especially considering where he really wanted to be, was around sixty miles north from where he was standing. "I hope you know what you're doing, my son." He scowled at his father's tone; the General made it sound like he was making a mistake that Inutaisho didn't want to call aloud; unless he wanted their, already tittering, relationship to dissolve into thin air._

_"The moment bodies arrive within your domain, Father, is when you can give your concern." Sesshomaru's only response was a tired huff of air._

_Inutaisho breifly closed his eyes, feeling the ache behind his eyes ease slightly at the lack of light. He had spent the last four hours in a meeting with three other lords, walking along eggshells broken by his son. The topic of the meeting revolved around Sesshomaru settling down with a demoness and taking the throne of the West. While Inutaisho was fine with his son taking on a mate, he did not want the weight of the throne bearing down on his shoulders anymore than it already was. Inutaisho wanted to rule for another fifty years at least until Sesshomaru could look him in the eye and honestly say he was ready for that burden to be passed to him. Telling that to the council of lords was another matter, but the General made his intentions clear. He didn't think, at the time, that his son would have boldly turned down finding a mate ; especially in the manner that he particularly had. Well, Inutaisho had to say that if Sesshomaru had gained anything from him, it had to be his ingrained stubbornness._

_Of course, Inutaisho already had his suspicions of why his son turned down the lords; the scent of a girl covering his son like a second skin for the past two years was enough of a hint. He doubted anyone else had paid that much attention to his son to find that scent curious; else they would have raised the dead with their yelling. The female scent was definitely human which brought relief to the demon Lord's heart and mind that his son wasn't so against humans as he led everyone to believe._

_"Are you courting?" That seemed to catch his son off guard as he nearly stumbled into the pillar he was walking past before righting himself as if nothing had happened. The sharp glare he received was an answer in its own right; it made the older demon... giddy at the thought. Inutaisho felt his cheeks ache due to the smile across his face, he enjoyed those little moments his son was caught off guard. "Am I ever going to meet my future daughter-in-law?" Maybe he was a little too giddy, because his tongue spit fired those words before he could think of his next move. That was what managed to end the conversation as Sesshomaru made a quick exit out into the gardens. However, Inutaisho would have been blind if he had missed the red blooming across the younger demons face._

_The new information alone, the General was certain, had given him another century to his life. He would be lying if he claimed that he wasn't worried about his son, because that's where more than half of his stress originated from. With Sesshomaru being three centuries old and never showing interest in girls; he had almost been certain the boy was either gay or asexual. How do you go about asking your kid their sexuality?_

_"What's got you so happy?" Inutaisho sat down on his throne, not expecting his ex-wife Inukimi to be beside him. They had come to the agreement that their marriage wasn't going anywhere in their benefit, a mutual agreement that it was better that they divorced. However, being a demon lord and wanting to divorce did not go hand in hand at all. So while they put up a public front of a distant couple, they had decided to remain friends._

_"Sesshomaru turned down finding a mate." Inukimi already knew of her husbands intentions of holding onto the throne longer, but she was expecting her child to search for a significant partner in the very least. He had listened to her speak of her expectations of the meeting the night before when everyone else had retired to their bed chambers. Inutaisho flinched when she smacked the side of his head with a scowl twisting her beautiful features._

_"Why in the seven hells would that make you smile, you dolt?!" She went to smack him again as his smile grew bigger but he caught her wrist gently._

_"_ _Come on, Kimi-chan. Surely, you have noticed it by now." The blank look on her face was the only response she gave him as she pulled her hand back to herself._

_"If you're talking about our son's obsession with that female ningen, I noticed that after the first three months." Inutaisho blinked at that statement, not expecting for her to have known for this long. He had just recently put the few scattered details together in a image that, even now, didn't give him the whole big picture. \_

_"I also know that he has been using his inheritance money to purchase items that are suspicious for Sesshomaru himself to request. One of the items being a Ito Shita Hogo necklace with the engraving 'S & N' and our family shield."_

_Inutaisho's eyes widened, feeling like the air was sucked from his lungs. Sesshomaru did... what? He didn't mind that the boy was using the money, it was what Inutaisho wanted him to do; but the necklace? The request for Ito Shita Hogo jewelry was rare itself considering the price; a ancient tradition that fell out of favour amongst demons for thd natural mating rituals that was less harmful on one's mentality. Having one made meant giving a piece of the soul itself to, basically, hand over to someone else; something even demons were wary of. It was a symbol of claim and it tied a demon so close to the Ito Shota Hogo owner, it went beyond just mate bonds. While mates were revered in the demonic society, no demon wanted to do anything that could potentially make them weaker. It made a demons inner beast bond to the chosen person to the point where thd beast literally stopped communicating if something did happen to the mate. Losing contact with one's inner beast was taboo and unforgivable. Inutaisho never would have thought that his proud arrogant son would have made that leap for the woman he was seeing. She had to be something real special in Sesshomaru's eyes. Well, he knew one thing for certain..._

_"Sesshomaru better be getting his ass together so I can meet my daughter-in-law! Two years? And he can't even let me see the girl that has him so wrapped around her finger?!"_

_"I want him to hurry the hell up and give me some grandpups to spoil! Imagine how adorable the pups would be, Tai!"_

_Sesshomaru tried to covince himself that the freezing cold wind was the culprit of his reddened face. A failed attempt. He didn't like how his father broached the subject; although, his inner demon took great interest in the look in Inutaisho's eyes when he said 'daughter-in-law'. Marriage? It was such a human tradition that lords and ladies only took to give the humans under their rule some ground, to show that royalty 'wasn't' considering themelves above the ningen. True yokai courted their chosen mate with gifts, bonding over the course of courting by not leaving each others side for no longer than a few minutes, before marking each other while being... Intimate. Nigen customs was unnecessary; merely bonding through flimsy 'heart-felt' words and exchanged rings that claimed to the rest of nigen that the couple was united until death and no one could try to claim otherwise. However, it made him feel warm and fuzzy in his chest the longer he entertained the thought; marrying didn't sound so bad ... If it was with **her**. _

_He despised the idea of her meeting the General or anyone else from his land; he already had an entire village to compete with for her attention. It was one of the reasons he usually visited her outside the village; but it slowly got to the point that she would convince him to go inside the village where her friends resided. He wouldn't have stepped foot inside the village had it not been for the fact it was so dangerous to meet at the small clearing out in forest. He had his pride but he wasn't about to risk her getting attacked on the way to or from meeting up with him. After acquiring a 'bingo' book, he learned that his blonde lover had quiet a bounty on her head by a village named 'Iwa'; not that she took it seriously as she full out laughed herself silly when he asked her if it was true._

_The five days it would take him to arrive to his destination seemed like an eternity. Security around the village walls had been apparently raised, he could see the figures ghosting along in the corner of his eye. Shinobi; humans with the ability to control elements with what they called 'chakra'. He prefered these type of humans over the ones he saw within his fathers domain; they were powerful ..to be nigen. He didn't feel like fighting to get through the entrance of the village where the shinobi would not grant him access because he wasn't a citizen of the village, and his blonde lover would be on bed. No point in waking her in the middle of the night. The easiest way to get inside would be to wait until morning when he had her by his side, the shinobi couldn't refuse him access then. He made his way to the small clearing within the forest, planning to just meditate the few short hours until daylight._

_He stopped just within the tree line when he saw a body laying beneath a awkwardly bent tree. Scenting the air, he had to force a growl down because what the hell was she doing out here? He stalked towards her. The more he took in her form, the more scenarios that went through his mind. She could have kidnapped, killed, rape- he did growl this time. His mind went through every possibility, progressively getting worse with the content. He wanted to grab her, shake her and yell, but his jaw was locked tight in the attempt to stop himself from doing something utterly stupid. She was tiny, petite, completely vulnerable, and one of the most naive people he had ever met; one of the reasons his beast was stalking within his mind, growling low protectively._ _He wanted to teach her lesson, scare her awake by thinking she was being attacked by a enemy because, damnit, if she didn't learn some self-preservation skills, he was going to go fucking insane! She claimed to be a shinobi, but she lacked in all acounts of self-preservation that kept shinobi alive. The darkened circles just beneath her eyes paired along with the rips in her clothing stopped him from teaching her a lesson like he desired to do._

_He could smell the faint scent of blood coming from her and while her hideous orange jumpsuit hide a great majority of her body, he could see a purple bruise on her jaw, a faint cut across her cheek and neck. Her petite hands were scratched, but her knuckles weren't bruised... Whatever had happened, she hadn't fought back with her fists like he knew she usually did. The small injuries couldn't be more than a hour or two old considering she was a unnaturally fast healer. Why the hell hadn't she fought back?_

_He removed his armor, the noisy clanking of the metal not even causing the girl to stir. He left his sword by his side as he laid down beside her. The ground was frozen and he could feel the dampness start to settle into his clothes. For the past month, it had been snowing within his fathers domain; but this land never seemed to gain the mass amounts of snow like his did. Still, it was too cold for any human to be outside, that included the little blonde at his side. If she got sick... Medicine wasn't up to par enough to give any assurance of surivial, especially during the winter. The numerous amounts of graves villages dug during the winter was depressingly high, the blonde was not going to be one of them._

_He pulled her closer so that her head rested on top of his mokomoko and wrapped the end around her waist. She humed as her eyes fluttered open and she lifted her head to look up at him. Her eyebrows furrowed together for a moment before she dropped her head back down on the fluff of his mokomoko with another low hum. She drew her leg upwards until her knee rested on his stomach, her hand wrapping around to unconsciously rub at the small hairs at the back of his neck. Her fingers were like ice against his skin making him flinch slightly. How long had she been out here? Why was she out here?_

_The purple bruise on her jaw was directly in his eyes sight now. It looked painful and as he softly drug his fingers acrossed it, he felt the swelling around it. "What happened?"_

_She didn't respond immediately. "Jus' trainin'." Had it not been for his hearing, he would have believed that lie, but even in her sleepy daze, her heartrate beated unnaturally fast. She was lying to him._

_He grunted as he moved her hair from her face, he would confront her tomorrow when he could calm his temper better. He scanned the small clearing, determined to be on watch since the petite woman against his chest didn't find it important enough to be aware of her surroundings. And while his sword was in easy reach to withdraw, the way she was entangled across him would make it difficult to move quick enough to defend her. However, he couldn't bring himself to push her away, not when he was this comfortable and his beast was growling in low tones that signified his contentment. He could hear her heartrate slowed until the point he knew for certain that she was deep asleep, but her fingers didn't stop their slow circles on his neck_.

* * *

Inuyasha watched as his brother jolted awake from his place against the wooden support beam of the hut. Sesshomaru's hand unconsciously rubbed at the back of his neck and the Hanyou could see the sweat gleaming across his brothers pale face. He wanted to break the silence that had been drowning the hut for the last few hours, but he knew it was pointless to question if his elder brother was alright, when clearly he wasn't.

"You wanna talk about it?" Apparently, from what he heard from Kagome, talking about nightmares helped ease one's mind. The faint twitch in Sesshomaru's muscles signified he hadn't quite got his grip on his surroundings; else he would have noticed the Hanyou sitting a few feet to his right.

"Go to sleep, half-breed." Inuyasha would have most likely taken offense to the degrading name had the usual tone been applied: the one that screamed of the demon lords disgust at even having to look at a Hanyou, let alone be related. The fact that Sesshomaru still had one hand holding his neck while the other was buried in his hair spoke enough volumes in its own. Inuyasha could hear how fast the demon's heart rate was up; must have been some nightmare.

"You ain't shakin' me off tha' easily, ya royal ass." Inuyasha glared half-heartedly at the demon lord even as a deep rumbling growl reached his ears. "Kagome's always goin' on abou' how talkin' helps. Speakin' from experience? It certainly don't cause any harm." Inuyasha watched as Sesshomaru shook himself, eerily more dog-like than human, and moved his hands down to his lap in an almost mechanical way. Had it not been for Inuyasha's heightened hearing, he wouldn't have caught the small long suffering sigh that escaped the demon.

"This Sesshomaru simply has too many memories that must remain buried. There is nothing more to speak of." Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as his ears subconsciously flattened to his head. Memories better kept buried? What memories was his royal-ass of a brother trying to suppress? It's not like Sesshomaru mourned their fathers death to that extent. Actually, the only grief he had seen from his stoic brother was-... Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up at the thought. Surely, by kami, his brother wasn't so stupid as to...

"You're trying to forget her." The accusation was plain as day in his tone as the more he gave it thought, the more his blood boiled. Sesshomaru stiffening was almost unnoticeable, but his low growl held a tone that should have made the hanyou back down. It didn't need to be spoken aloud to know who Inuyasha spoke of. The mere thought of even attempting to forget someone simply because their deceased made the Hanyou's stomach churn in knots. It was like wanting to wipe his own mother from his memories simply because she was no longer standing by his side. It made it worse that the demon lord acted like he was still grieving over the blonde all this time, when in reality, he was trying to erase the blonde's last shred of existence.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Does your memory of her mean that fucking little to you that your willing to shove it all to the side to be forgotten? Wha-" Inuyasha wheezed as he sudden had a clamp of steel cutting into his airways in the shape of his brothers hand.

"Do not speak as if you knew her." The tone was so eerily calm that it sent chills down Inuyasha's body and made the hair on his neck and ears stand on end. Because calm was the last thing Sesshomaru's body was displaying as the whites of his eyes were bright bloody red with an icy blue irises, his muscles relaxed in a way that screamed danger, predator. "You know nothing!" The bone chilling snarl that caressed those few words.

"I-I have more merit to speak of her than you! The horrifying fact that the poor lady only has you to remember her, for you to act as if her existence didn't have any more meaning than the dirt beneath your feet." He refused to blink as he stared up at his brother's enraged face. Someone needed to put the dumbass in his place. "My sympathy goes out to her."

That must have struck something hard as Sesshomaru was quick to let go, but not before he used his grip on the Hanyou to give a particularly hard slam into the wall of the hut causing it to groan. Inuyasha didn't pay any mind to it though, because the look that flashed inside those red tinted eyes was gratifying in almost everyway possible. Good. Inuyasha hoped and prayed to kami that hit something raw, something painful that would burn into his brothers very being; he wanted it cause a horrfiying agony in the demons chest everytime he breathed.

"What's going on?" Miroku paused in the doorway of the hut, his eyes flickering between the two brothers. He wanted to back away, act like he didn't hear the growling from within he hut, but the dangers of not solving the situation as it arose was too risky; especially being in a human village. The reddening marks around Inuyasha's throat was unmistakable and he could see the beginnings of it turning a dark blue already. He tensed as he took in Sesshomaru's rigid form that was panting, sharp canine teeth bared with dark red eyes. Inuyasha managed to completely piss the inudaiyokai off in a way that Miroku hadn't seen until now. He tensed as he waited for them to lunge at each others throat like they typically did, but after a inarguably long minute, nothing happened.

"Apparently, nothing worth remembering." As Sesshomaru snarled, Miroku raised an eyebrow. Was that some silent jab that he failed to catch? To say he was lost was an understatement, but he was counting the little blessings; like the two powerful demonic brothers not battling it out full force.

Inuyasha pushed past him out the door, scowling so hard that it seemed his face would never be able to form a different expression. The fact that Inuyasha had merely used a verbal hit against the demon lord and not his fists or sword spoke volumes within its own right. What the hell had Sesshomaru done to make the Hanyou do that? Miroku glanced over at Sesshomaru who looked ready to shift and murder the entire village. He backed up, closing the flimsy door for some form of privacy for the demon. Maybe he would be able to calm himself with the time alone.

* * *

Shippo held the bundle of flowers Rin had been piling on top of his lap for the past few hours as she picked out the ones she wanted to braid into a flower crown. He knew he should probably get back to the village soon as Kagome didn't like it when they were gone for more than a few hours of the day; especially by themselves.

He leaned back on the boulder watching the little ravenette stick her tongue out in concentration as her small fingers twisted small bits of vine in various direction and patterns that he couldn't begin to understand. "Do you think Sesshomaru-sama likes the purple flowers or the pink?" Rin held out her crown with one hand and used her other one to gesture to the flowers in his lap. If he was being honest, he didn't think Sesshomaru even liked flowers.

But with the hopeful look in Rin's wide brown eyes, Shippo decided that he couldn't just tell her that, it would probably break her heart. "Purple, I guess." The only reason he felt safe giving that answer was due to the fact that the sash that held the demon lords swords had purple accents. He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought, maybe Sesshomaru did like the color of purple. But his favorite color could have been any variety of the ones he wore: red, white, black, silver, yellow, or purple. Well, the symbol on his forehead was purple, and his striped cheeks were as close to purple that it kinda counted.

Both so focused on thinking of the demon lord that neither one noticed the form standing behind them, until they spoke causing the two children to jump in alarm. Shippo jumped to his feet causing the flowers to tumble out of his lap, the fur on his tail standing on end as he placed himself in front of Rin. Inuyasha would have his hide later on when he found out he had allowed someone to actually sneak up on him.

"Sesshomaru, you know him? Can you take me to him, please? I haven't seen him quite a long time and I would like to have a word with him."


	4. Chapter 4

Sesshomaru flexed his claws, the urge to rip into something was irritatingly strong; especially if that 'something' has silver hair and canine ears. All he wanted was to be left alone. Why the hell couldn't his dumbass little brother understand that he didn't want to talk about her? He forced his tense muscles to relax enough so he could sit down; it didn't stop the ticking in his jaw as he grinded his teeth.

'You're trying to forget her.'

He grimaced as he recalled those words, his chest tightening to an uncomfortable degree. That wasn't true... right? Just because he didn't want to speak of his mate didn't mean-...

'Does your memory of her mean that fucking little to you that your willing to shove it all to the side to be forgotten?'

He leaned forward, tasting bile rise up his throat as he threaded his claws into his hair. He felt his beast's disgust paired along with his own. The mere thought of it was so far from the truth that it made his stomach churn into multiple knots. His memories of her was all he fucking had left; so, yes, he did shove it all to the side, but not to be forgotten. He didn't think he could forget, even if he wanted to; which wasn't, nor would it ever, be the case.

Replaying memories only ripped at the already tender hole in his chest; he decided a long time ago that he was going to have to stop before he did something that was permanent and just as equally foolish. He could not leave his father's lands behind, no matter what; nothing else mattered anymore as long as he could keep Inutaisho's lands safe and relatively intact.

He didn't know how long he set there, before someone started knocking on the thin flimsy door of the hut. Honestly, he didn't hear it, too busy sinking deep into his guilt to bother take in his surroundings. His body tensed, feeling something grab a hold of his shoulder. Anger filled him before he even looked up at the person, not aimed at them personally, but more towards himself for allowing anyone to sneak up on him, to touch him. This was why the memories needed to stay in the back of his mind, why he didn't look at the paper tucked in his armor everyday; it distracted him too much. He had to be functioning at a hundred percent being Lord of his lands; any margin for error was unacceptable because this allowed the opportunity of defeat.

Kagome frowned at the reaction as she removed her hand from the demons tense shoulder. Miroku had explained to her the situation that he walked in on nearly half an hour prior; however, even he didn't know the full details, only that the two brothers had gotten to an nasty argument that ended in a pissed off Lord and a bruised Hanyou. It spoke volumes though, when she found out that the bruises were from Sesshomaru choking Inuyasha, not punching or using his beloved swords. What had happened that had caused the demon Lord to lose his tightly bound stoic composure that he was so infamous for? What had Inuyasha said? She loved the silvered hair hanyou, truly; but it didn't blind her to his mannerisms and, more than often, loose tongue.

"Hey, you alright?" She wanted to ask what her idiotic hanyou did, but it was probably best to tip-toe around the situation, given the older man's current disposition. It was like those words were magical as she watched the demon straighten up his spine to a painful degree and his hands eased down into his lap. She winced, he put a whole new meaning to perfect posture. Now that she thought about it, she doesn't think she has ever seen him truly relaxed.

"This Sesshomaru is not-" Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Rin ran into the hut with a thin flower crown held carefully in her palms. She didn't pay Kagome any mind as she stopped in front of the demon lord and, without pause, stretched to drop the crown on top of the man's head. The crown itself held bright purple bellflowers with twigs of baby's breath, the yellows of the poppies standing out sharply against his silver hair.

Kagome tried not to smile as she watched Sesshomaru's tension seemed to drop away as he looked at Rin who had a large smile on her face. She loved watching the demon interact with the little girl because it showed a whole new side of the lord that people tended to look over due to how well he hide it. The miko had to admit that the colors the little girl had picked out went beautifully with each other, but it really made Sesshomaru's eyes stand out from his pale skin and accented his demonic markings... He could really pull off the floral crown. She would have never thought the word flowers and Sesshomaru would ever fit together in any sentence properly; learn something new everyday.

"Rin made a crown so you don't have to be sad." Rin held the other crown she had made beside her, suddenly feeling self conscious about her idea. While she was making Sesshomaru-sama's she thought that it was only right to make the pretty blonde a crown as well. She knew that the lady wouldn't be able to wear hers, but she thought Sesshomaru could place it on the girls grave or something along those lines. She had used the blue tiger lilys that she decided to not use on Sesshomaru's because she couldn't see him wearing blue. The handful of red flowers she had wasn't in the best conditions, and only the best could be used for crowns; so she couldn't put them in the lady's crown. She could have picked more flowers from the field they were settled in, but she wanted the two crowns to be unique in their own ways; so she couldn't use the same colors that were in Lord Sesshomaru's. She had explained this to Shippo, who hadn't hesitated to search a little further for different colored flowers. It had only been a few minutes before he returned with several little flowers cupped carefully within his palms. They were unlike any of the flowers she had ever seen as the petals were a soft yellow towards the center that transitioned into a pretty pale orange on the outer edges. The flowers had more orange than yellow on them, so Rin didn't worry about them matching to closely with the yellow poppies of Sesshomaru's; besides the orange flowers didn't physically look anything like the other flowers. She had only added the tiny white flowers that Kagome called 'babys breath' as well so that she could have at least three flowers in the crown like Sesshomarus.

What if giving him the lady's crown made him sad again? She didn't want him upset anymore than he already was. Rin tightened her grip on the crown as she tried to gently ease it behind her out of her Lord's sight. She made the demon Lord a crown so he would be happy, she wouldn't ruin it by making him sad with another crown.

The subtle movement of the little girl's hand caught Kagome's eye almost immediately, "What do you have there, sweetheart?"

Rin froze, her dark brown eyes shooting to a pair that were darker than her own. Why did Miss Kagome have to ask? It was obivous it was another crown, one that she had been attempting to hide. Rin glanced over at Sesshomaru whose golden eyes were already locked on her own. Well, there was really no way around it now; unless she wanted to lie about who it went to, but she didn't want to lie to him. Lying was bad. She swallowed thickly, feeling her face grow slightly warm as she held out the crown in her hands quickly, her gaze casted downwards.

"R-Rin made the pretty blonde lady a crown too." Her voice seemed tiny even in her own ears. She tried her best to not squirm around the longer she held her hands out, knowing that Sesshomaru didn't like it when she did. "I didn't want to leave her out too, even though she can't wear hers. But it wouldn't be fair to leave her out just because of that... Sesshomaru-sama can put them on her grave if thats okay.. Or Rin can just give them to someone else..." She mumbled feeling the urge to explain herself.

Kagome watched as Sesshomaru gently took the little girls hands that still held the crown. It suddenly felt like she was intruding on what was suppose to be a private moment making her turn on her heel to walk outside. She would come back in a few minutes so the dog demon and little girl could have their moment to speak.

Sesshomaru swallowed around the knot in his throat as he took in the beautifully made crown. Rin had always had a talent in making floral accessories, but the colors on this one... It was scarily accurate. For a little girl who had only glimpsed at a blurry photo of a person she had never met... Surely, it had to just be a coincidence.

"...Orange, Rin?"

The little girl cast her gaze downwards towards the crown with little orange flowers. Was orange a bad color? Did it mean something bad? She knew she shouldn't have given it to him. Now he was probably not only upset but mad as well. Why couldn't she do anything right? She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration at herself.

"Rin's sorry! I didn't know it meant something bad! I picked it 'cause it was so pretty and different-..." She trailed off when Sesshomaru lifted the crown from her hands carefully before placing it down in his lap. Something in his gold eyes shined as he carefully pulled Rin towards him in a loose hug.

The words didn't need to be said, Rin felt the gratitude all the same as she carefully hugged him back. So orange didn't mean something bad? She hoped not. She wanted to ask but it seemed Lord Sesshomaru was done with that conversation. She nearly giggled as his silver hair brushed across her face, but she knew that would have made him pull away from hugging her; so she tightened her lips. It was rare he showed any physical affection or praise, she liked it because it made him show more emotion than what he usually did. Now if she could just get him to be more open around the rest of the group; that was the goal she had set herself. Because if she didn't try to help him, no one else was going to attempt it.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes as his nose picked up the scent of dirt, sweat, flowers, and... He tensed as he took a noticeable sniff once more... that scent. He knew his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, it couldn't be. Where did she pick up that scent?

"You ran into someone in the woods, Rin?" It came out more as a statement because he knew that scent was nowhere within the village. Demon's were rare around villages for the past few months, he knew this for certain because he had made it mandatory that all yokai were to keep their distances from human villages until he could get the mess that Naraku had left behind cleaned up and the humans in a calmer state of mind about demons. It would do no good for the villages to get violent against every demon that neared their area, only for said demons to react just as violently, if not more so. While it was few villages that would react so poorly, he didn't want to take any risks; he just stretched the order so any yokai, that didn't already have a permeant residence in a village, must stay away.

Naraku had caused a lot of damage for the peace between demons and humans; it was up to Sesshomaru to repair it. Luckily, it was already getting better due to some humans recognizing the fact that it was a hanyou and a few other demons (including himself) that had went up against Naraku. His brother and the miko had called him overly paranoid with his consistent patrols around his lands, attempting to get him to 'settle down' and 'chill'. There was the guards at his mothers palace that could do the patrols, but they considered the task too 'mundane' for their taste; idiots, the lot of them. However, by patrolling his own lands, he felt better prepared should an attack occur and confident that there wouldn't be a new 'Naraku' on his hands. Honestly, if he hadn't been so one tracked minded on getting the Tessaiga, he would have took notice of Naraku way before he got a speckle of the amount of power he had. It was pathetic of him to allow that spider hanyou to even think that he could slide by with his shit. The fact that his mother didn't attempt to help better his father's lands made him angrier, because she heard of most situations before Sesshomaru did, but never lifted a finger. All she did was sit on the throne and question his every move.

Rin pulled away with a fast nod, letting her hands fall from around his neck. She had forgotten to tell him about the stranger that wanted to see him; was that who he was asking about? Maybe Lord Sesshomaru was expecting someone to visit? "Shippo said to come here and give Sesshomaru-sama his crown before-"

The last of the girls response was lost as Sesshomaru felt a demonic presence enter the border of the village that was closest to the hut. He scowled as he placed the crown in his lap on Rin's head before standing up. "Stay." She blinked as she watched him move quickly outside of the hut, intent on finding the idiotic yokai that thought it would be a good idea to enter a human village against orders. Rin figured he must already know the stranger, or else he wouldn't have interrupted her reply. But, the person said to not tell Sesshomaru who they were... something about a surprise. Did Sesshomaru-sama already know about the surprise?

* * *

It was obvious, in Kagome's mind, that he would be here. There wasn't many places near the village Inuyasha escaped to; especially when he was upset over something. From where she was standing on the ground, she could see his tensed form perched up high in his tree, his back facing her. It amused her that the hanyou and his older brother 'marked' their own trees as their own. She doubted either one of them would notice this similarity, unless she pointed it out. Using the small notches cut into the tree for easier climbing, she made her way slowly up the tree. She still wasn't confident enough in herself that she wouldn't fall at any second and break her neck; that would be a pathetic way to die after everything she had been through. Carefully setting herself down beside the hanyou, she noticed he still hadn't taken notice of her presence. It seemed he still hadn't calmed down from whatever happened earlier between him and his brother. His fists were clenched tightly by his sides, his facial expression hard as his ears laid flat against his head. Well, Inuyasha was a known hot-head; she didn't honestly expect him to be calmed down by now. Seeing the dark purple bruises spread across his neck, she slid her hand over the top of his in silent comfort; not expecting his fingers to quickly turn to intertwine with hers like it was programed to happen somewhere in his brain automatically.

"I heard there was a disagreement between you and Sesshomaru..." Might as well go straight through the bush instead of beating around it, kind of. Maybe he would explain his side of the story without much prodding. Inuyasha scoffed, and Kagome could tell that if she wasn't holding his hand, he would have crossed his arms as he usually did.

"Yeah, you could say that..." His tone was harsh and his hand tightened around hers slightly. Okay then, try a different tactic...

"I just seen your brother, you know..." Could she guilt him into it? Most likely not, but it would probably help for him to know how Sesshomaru was when she walked in. "Never thought I would see the day that the 'great' Lord Sesshomaru folded over on himself and holding his head like that could keep him anchored." That was.. a little much, but it wasn't exactly incorrect.

"Serves the bastard right."

"Inuyasha!" She flicked his ear in reprimand. "He's the only family you have left, you can't say things like that."

"Him being my brother gives me every right to say whatever the hell I want about him, can't help it if its the truth." Kagome opened her mouth to scold him once more but Inuyasha was already speaking. "The girl in the photo..." His grip on her hand tightened as she furrowed her eyebrows. What did that have to do with this conver-.. oh. "He hasn't been mourning the loss of her, Kagome. He has been trying to forget her. That's like me saying I don't want any memories of my mother just because she died and isn't by my side. How fucked up is that? What's worse? Sesshomaru is probably the only person that poor girl has left to remember her by. If that doesn't show you how much of a bastard my brother is, I don't know what will."

Without much thought, she started petting behind the young man's ears. The way he looked at it, it did sounded pretty bad. But based off what she knew, there was an issue with his small rant. Sesshomaru was a man of very few words and rather enjoyed his privacy... in nearly all aspects of his life; that being said, she was certain Inuyasha had made assumptions based off a poorly worded sentence that most likely was very vague. Both of them had terribly poor comminucation skills, anyway. Now that she knew what the argument was based off of, she had room to put some form of her opinion in.

"It hurt a lot when your mom passed away, didn't it?" She didn't wait for a response because the answer was obvious on its own. Now to break this down so Inuyasha could understand what she was trying to get across. "You had your own way of coping with losing her; I don't know what that coping mechanism may have been but still..." She paused briefly to get her thoughts together. Now how was she suppose to get her thoughts across in her words without the meaning getting lost? "Sesshomaru is a very private kind of guy, doesn't like sharing his thoughts or really talking to anyone; you know how reserved he is. Despite all that, he managed to open up to the blonde and create, from what I can tell, a very close bond; only to lose her not long after. I don't think Sesshomaru was trying to forget her; maybe it hurt him too much to think about her. Honestly, I don't believe he has figured out a proper way to cope with the loss, so he is attempting to shove it all to the side. You remember how you explained the bond of mates? I don't know how deep those bonds run, but she may have been his mate, Yasha." She never thought about that but she added it as an after thought, anyway. "And then your father being killed most likely doubled the grief he has had to struggle through."

There wasn't an immediate response, but that was okay because that was a lot to get sorted through. She leaned against his shoulder. Maybe she simply over analyzed Sesshomaru's situation but she tried to put herself in his 'shoes' as she put puzzle piece by puzzle piece together. Sesshomaru was a complicated demon, one she would never completely understand but she wanted to try at the very least. She could see the compassion he attempted to keep locked up that managed to shine through the little actions he did around Rin, sometimes even Inuyasha. He had too many layers to his person that no one cared to dig through, but she wanted to help him be more open with his emotions, even if it was just around one or two people of his choosing. She blinked when she felt an arm wrap around her waist, squeezing her against the hanyou's side tightly.

"Seems like you've gotten my brother all figured out." He leaned his head against her own as he released a long sigh. "By kami, I hope that she wasn't his mate."

As cruel as it sounded, Kagome silently hoped the same. It wasn't long before Inuyasha stiffened against her before sitting up straighter. She heard him take a deep breath in before he was scooping her over his shoulder and making his way down the tree. "Inuyasha! What are you doing?!"

* * *

Shippo casted a weary glance behind him at the demon that had interrupted his and Rin's time in the field. He had Rin go ahead to the hut, not to warn Sesshomaru but more along the lines to know that the girl would be safer by the lord's side than by his own.

"So you know Sesshomaru?" He didn't like the silence, because who ever this demon was, made it highly uncomfortable. He couldn't really see the person's face, the hood they wore over shadowed most of their features and the body build could have been that of a man's or woman's. Typically, Shippo would have used his nose in a situation like this, but he couldn't even catch the scent of the demon; it made him nervous.

"I knew him a century or two ago. Due to... unfortunate circumstances, I haven't seen the Inuyokai since."

Shippo kept silent the rest of the walk to the village. The demon's presence seemed to be burning a hole into his back the whole trip making him antsy. Why didn't he just say Sesshomaru was on a journey or at his mother's palace? It would have avoided him having to bring the mysterious stranger behind him along. It seemed like it was all too soon that he could see the border of the village itself. The trip had seemed so much longer when he had walked it with Rin a few hours earlier. The boy winced as he saw Sesshomaru fast approaching with Inuyasha carrying Kagome over his shoulder coming from the left; only stopping a few yards away. Shippo shuffled his feet nervously when Inuyasha's angered gaze dropped down to his own. He couldn't really blame the hanyou for his anger either, because he did bring a pretty shady demon right into the village... a demon that he didn't even know the name of. Well, it was too late to change his mind on the matter now but not to say oops.

"Shippo! What the hell?! We are suppose to keep demons out of the village, not bring them in like strays, you dumbass!" Inuyasha bared his teeth in annoyance causing Shippo to take a step back. It was rather insulting that Inuyasha thought he was so stupid, but it wasn't like he had told the demon that he would take them to Sesshomaru... they kinda just followed along. Inuyasha couldn't judge him anyways; the idiot hanyou did stuff that was dumb too!

"Mah, Mah..." Shippo glanced behind him at the sound. He couldn't quite tell which way they were looking due to the hood but he knew it wasn't at himself. "If it isn't Princess Sesshy. I'm dying to know, where's your prince? Or have you not kissed enough frogs?"

There was a period of dead silence for all of a minute before any anger Inuyasha seem to be experiencing vanished as he started all out laughing, even Kagome cracked a smile. Shippo blinked as he looked back over at the royal Inuyokai to see the flower crown Rin had made sitting perfectly on top of his head. Shippo had never really seen the man actually wear any of Rin's gifts while he walked around, and certainly not when he went to confront anybody. The two must really be friends if the stranger had enough guts to joke around with Sesshomaru of all people, but the blank look on the said Inuyokai's face spoke quite differently.

"State your business, or leave."

Shippo took this moment to walk quickly over to Kagome. He did not want to be in between two demons, especially with Sesshomaru being one of them. The look that Sesshomaru was sending the stranger could melt metal and Shippo did not want to be anywhere near the receiving end. Besides, Kagome always made him feel safe in these type of situations. Well, at least Sesshomaru gave the demon two options; that's more than he usually did. Shippo wrapped himself around the miko's leg just in time to see the demon place a hand over their chest almost playfully.

"Do you not recognize me, Princess? I'm hurt." The mocking tone was now more evident. "Believe it."

Out of all the things Shippo thought that Inuyasha's older brother would be angered out of this situation, this was the last on the list... barely even on it, in fact. It couldn't have been the fact that the demon called him 'princess' again, because it hadn't bothered him previously. What did bother the Inuyokai then? Shippo didn't really give any more thought because the way Sesshomaru's face twisted made chills crawl across his skin and his ears definitely didn't miss the low growl.

Kagome caught Inuyasha's arm before he move towards his brother or make a snide comment. This seemed like a more personally confrontation between the two yokai, there was no sense in adding any more... problems to the situation at hand. With Sesshomaru being within the village, it would not abode well for him to fight; the least she do to help was to have Inuyasha and Shippo help protect the villagers from getting in the crossfire. Although, Inuyasha would want to be in the middle of the battle, it was best that he stuck to the sidelines until this all blew over. Hopefully, this could end with no violence, but with the way Sesshomaru was glaring at the demon, it didn't seem very likely at all.

"Don't, Yasha." She muttered as she saw his grip tight on his sword when the demon suddenly moved to remove the hood back, chuckling. It had immediately changed the tone that the demon had set with his joking demeanor.

"Don't start with me, mutt. You sure did like it when my Kit would say it." Shippo's ears perked up at the word as he took in the demon's features. Unlike his own hair that was auburn, this man (because he definitely couldn't mistake the guy's gender when he saw his eyes) had dark red crimson spiked hair that, had it not been tucked beneath his cloak, looked to rather long like Sesshomaru's. He was relatively tanned with three whisker-like markings on either cheek and intense wine colored eyes that made Shippo shrink behind Kagome even further. A kyuubi no youko; Sesshomaru was standing against a nine-tailed demon fox! Shippo swallowed thickly as recalled all the stories his parents had told him about with rare nine-tailed foxes. It was the highest level a power a kitsune could reach, and there was a reason why it was so seldom that a nine-tailed was seen.

"Kuram-" Sesshomaru started to speak but the Kyuubi interrupted him harshly.

"If I remember correctly, the only person I gave permission to say my name died."


	5. Chapter 5

_It was different; the scents, the scenes, the sounds... just about all of it. There was a reason that demons tended to stay away from villages; only entering when absolutely necessary. Human hygiene was not anywhere near a Yokai's; mostly because their noses were not as powerful. The expensive oils and soaps that the Royal Palace possessed had to be transported in, and not many demons held the type of money that it took to keep up their hygiene; especially not humans. The smell of sweat and other bodily secretions was nauseating to catch scent of; one reason Sesshomaru showed very little interest in the nigens that populated his father's lands. It wasn't like he was missing out on something extraordinary, seeing as the humans did daily mundane chores only to retire in straw and clay built houses. The small amount of noise the village created was mostly gossip. The lack of variety in clothing left everything bland; nothing caught Sesshomaru's interest._

_But this village was different; an exception that his beast forced him to admit._

_He couldn't keep his eyes trained in one area for longer than a few seconds as something new would draw his attention away. It was deafening, especially with his enhanced hearing. While he could hear a lot of people conversing about one thing or another, there was sounds that he couldn't begin to identify. It was loud, visually, as each human seemed to wear what seemed like, at the very least, three vibrant colors. Brightly colored banners hung on just about every store with gold or white kanji inked across the fabric. To put it simply, there was more... life to the village than he had ever seen. Personal hygiene wasn't an issue; it seemed like, if anything, the people were too clean as their scents were strong with fragrant oils that all collided together into a indistinguishable smell that tickled his nose. The buildings were structured with white walls and colorful rooftops that seemed strange. Was there a point coloring them?_

_His golden eyes snapped immediately as bright orange moved out to the left of him. Naruko was walking beside him, her arms stretched towards the sky before she rested her hands behind her head. Her orange jumpsuit made her stick out oddly against the crowd. He couldn't see her obsession with orange, especially given her career choice; that's what really bothered him. A target was already painted across her back for being a Jinchuriki as well as her parentage; she didn't need to call any more attention to herself by wearing dramatic clothing. He may not be a Shinobi, but he knew, at the very least, the importance of being discrete with the coloring of clothing; now if he could only convince Naruko of it. Her hair color made her even more of an oddity as the only hair colors human's usually possessed was variations of browns and blacks; Sesshomaru couldn't even recall ever meeting a blonde-haired demon. And that was saying something when over half the demon population traveled every two decade's or so to his father's kingdom for the Great Gala._

_"Lord Fluffy, you're acting like an excited puppy."_

_He felt his eyebrow twitch against his will at the insufferable nickname the blonde had managed to conjure up. He had only heard his actual name fall from her lips once and that was only to inform her friends as well as the Hokage of his identity (And what a strange day that had been, one he would rather not repeat if he had an option)._

_"Your village is... different compared to the ones in my father's domain." Technically, Konoha was a part of his father's lands, it just wasn't well known due to being hidden. That, in itself, was bizarre considering his parents were all about keeping tabs on the lands, and they had never breathed a word of a village of Konoha's standing (at least that he knew of). He wanted to ask his father on what information he knew of the shinobi village, but Inutaisho was already inquiring about Naruko and Sesshomaru would rather not drop any suspicious questions that his father could (and eventually would) figure out. If Inutaisho knew what village he was constantly visiting, the General would want to 'pass through' himself just for the sake of it; Then keeping away his exuberant mate from the man would prove to be impossible._

_"Really? I guess it's to be expected," Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at how she worded that, "because even the other hidden villages are different from Konoha. Sunagakure's buildings are made from some type of clay that blends in the surrounding sands really well; so it's not very colorful. And the citizens there tend to keep their clothing around the same color too. I'm not certain how the other hidden villages are considering I haven't had a mission in Iwa, Kiri, or Kumo that really relied on me going anywhere near the population."_

_Sesshomaru attempted to listen her explanation, but the piercing stares began to make his beast shift in irritation. Staring was usually expected when you are a demon, human's were curious beings that way. Human's were able to feel some amount of the power that surrounded him in an aura; not that they knew what it was exactly that they were feeling, just knew to stay away. That was okay, though; Nigen's were typically vile beings and he didn't want to interact with them more than necessary... which was now quite a bit considering his lover lived in a nigen village. Glancing around the crowded street, he could see the intense glares being aimed his way, the looks of disgust so open that it nearly made him pause in walking. Out of respect, or just plain fear, he had never received such looks before. It wasn't just one or two people looking, but several._

_"...demon.."_

_"-the Hokage just lets that monster walk free.."_

_"..And all that hideous orange, stupid fucking demon."_

_"-Nothing but an attention-seeking brat.."_

_"And that poor man beside it, does he not realize what it is?"_

_His ears twitched at the whispers as he stopped walking. Normally when someone, especially a human, spoke out of line, it was... not necessarily okay but he had better things to do than to deal with such insolence. However, it wasn't him they were trying to browbeat, they were persecuting his mate.(Honestly, who else wore the eyesore orange?) He couldn't turn a blind eye to that, even if he wanted to; it was his job to protect her, in all ways. Legally, (demon-wise, that is), Sesshomaru could kill any offender who spoke with ill-intent towards his mate, seeing as she would be considered the next Lady of the West. It was a law placed down by his great-grandfather in order to ensure the safety of ones mate; not fool-proof but it did lower the chances of anyone attempting a murder. As he looked around, the thought of enacting that law was terribly tempting, but ... He couldn't do anything until he explained it to Naruko; the laws that were placed down by his father, Konoha didn't even seem aware of._

_He scowled, taking note that the glares seemed to not even affect the blonde as she kept on walking, not aware that he wasn't still beside her. The bounce in her step causing her long mess of golden curls and spikes to move back and forth in what seemed an almost childish way. They thought she was a demon? How laughable; She didn't possess any demonic qualities besides the three small whisker marks across her cheeks. Even if she did, there was no reason to subject her to such vile reactions. His left hand automatically reached towards his hip to rest on his blade, when he caught sight of a group of men's eyes trailing after Naruko. That look was not entirely unfamiliar to him as he had seen it several times among the male population in the villages. Such degrading humans._

_"Hey, why'd ya stop?"_

_Gold turned to meet sapphire. Her smile didn't dim in the slightest as she looked back at him questioningly. His Beast had him crossing the handful of steps that had managed to accumulate in between them, tucking the girl's petite body beneath his arm firmly. He saw her eyebrows raise in her confusion out of his peripheral vision, but he was more focused on glaring down anyone that looked in his general direction. "Is this customary?" It was a question that slipped by his lips without much given thought, but necessary all the same. Is this why she was so head-strong on meeting out in the clearing? His mind flitted back to the cuts and bruises sported across her body just a few days prior. Despite his questioning, she had managed to worm her way around the inquiries without much hassle that gave little insight on what the situation had been._

_Too much practice, he tried to ignore the input that his beast felt paramount. He was able to pieces the clues together himself quite alright, he only wanted, and needed, the evidence to disprove it._

_"Huh? W-what are you talking about?" That would have been more than believable, had he not heard her heart stumble. Out of all the skills for her to take on, deception was not one he appreciated; especially if she had sharpened her skill the way he thought she had. Why would she lie to him? She was honest about her status as a container for the fox daiyokai as well as her career. Just as he was forthright about every detail he told her, even his position as Heir to the West lands; he actually didn't really have anything to hide._

_"This Sesshomaru does not appreciate dishonesty."_

_"What? How am I being 'dishonest' when I don't even know what you're talking about?!"_

_He winced at her volume, looking down to see the slight furrow between her eyebrows and the slant of her lips; was she pouting? He had never seen such an expression on a person as old as herself, even when he was a pup he did not possess the facial muscles to do so. He was a prince, and Prince's were mature and professional at every turn. But his little mate didn't bare any titles as weighty as a crown, so he guessed it was to be expected that she was more... immature; that was alright because he couldn't really see her being serious for more than a handful of seconds. One of the reasons he had been so hopelessly drawn towards her, was her somewhat naive but no less than endearing personality and her natural joy at the simplest of things._

_"The fact that your heart is resembling a hummingbirds more than a Nigen's, speaks for itself. I will not ask once more, Naruko." He allowed his yokai to lash out like an invisible whip against the group males, that had started to shuffle down the street with them, causing the men to stumble backwards. He clenched his jaw as his eyes dragged across each of their faces, committing the details to memory. Just because he wasn't enacting the law, did not mean that he wouldn't rectify that within the very near future. When he felt Naruko begin to shift away, he flexed his arm around her which successfully brought her even closer to his side. He heard her gulp in a way that would have been comical had it not been for the situation. Was she uncomfortable? She never cared that he held her this close in the past. She usually enjoyed his attentions._

_"They've always glared. It is a way to express emotion, Fluffy. Even you are doing it now, whether you realize it or not." She said it so off-handedly that he glowered even further. She acted like it purely natural to have such disgusted looks shoved her way, and it probably was; he will remedy the situation soon because such looks only led to physical violence. He had his suspicions, and from what he gathered, it seemed it was slowly proving them to be true._

_"You're going to have so many wrinkles with that sour face. You know, it takes less effort to tip the corners of your lips upwards." She pressed the tip of her fingernail into his cheek in an almost playful manner. She was trying to stir the conversation in a different direction, but he wasn't so easily fooled. "Oh Kami, there's already one right. there." Her finger moved to jab him in between his eyes causing him to roll them._

_"I do not understand why human's stress over something as natural as wrinkles." It was weird to think that someone would constantly worry over their complexion. Scars were considered honorary in his species, wrinkles were marks that could represent many different types of battles, any other type of blemish such as acne simply didn't appear on demons unless they were deathly ill; still wasn't anything to complain about._

_"If you weren't born with it, or if it's not 'normal', it is considered to be a blemish that messes up your 'beauty'. Scars, acne, stretch marks, moles, sometimes even birthmarks." He didn't miss how her fingers trailed across her cheeks for just the briefest moment. He could still feel the glares on his back as he scooped the blonde up into his arms causing her to yell out in alarm._

_"W-what the hell?!" Her arms flailed out in the attempt to grab something before she locked them around his neck nearly cutting off his oxygen supply completely. "Put me down! This is embarrassing!" He could tell, because her cheeks were uncharacteristically red causing the various shades of blue in her eyes to stand out more prominently; He enjoyed getting her flustered for that very reason.. also, it was fairly entertaining. He pressed his nose against her cheek that radiated heat, allowing his lips to brush over the three whisker marks. Despite the thin lines being so prominent, they was exceptionally soft; He often found himself stroking them to feel the unnaturally smooth skin against his own. He could smell the orange scent of her shampoo and the faint saltiness of ramen waft up to his nose; such an odd mixture that it strangely fit his little mate._

_"Human's have always been so boringly petty and insolent. I quite enjoy your so called 'blemishes'." He actually did, the marks only enhanced the teen's already beautiful features. Just for the hell of it, he allowed the tip of his tongue to trail over the smooth lines leaving a small trail of saliva behind. He felt her stiffen in his arms to an alarming degree as her face increased in that wonderful red color, her eyes wide. It seemed to take a moment for her brain to reboot itself, but he took the time to admire her reddened face. By kami, she was so beautiful, almost unnaturally so. His head tilted to the side when she untangled one of her arms to hit him hard in the side of the head. Had she been anyone else, she wouldn't have been breathing in the seconds after such an act; but as it was, his beast only projected his amusement that paired with his own confusion._

_"Hentai!"_

_He raised an eyebrow in reply. Why was she calling him a pervert? He hadn't done anything inappropriate to her person. His beast gave a indefinable grumble in reply, the amusement only seeming to grow. "I beg you pardon?"_

_Her cheeks puffed out as the red seemed to only spread across the rest of her face. She slapped a hand against her cheek with more force than what was probably necessary. "Y-you licked me!" His eyebrows drew together at her statement of the obvious; of course, he had licked her. Why was that an issue? She must have seen the confusion on his face, because she huffed in what seemed like annoyance. "You can't go around licking people, Sesshy! How did you not know that?" She thought back to all the times he had reprimanded her on her own mannerisms._

_Sesshomaru tilted his head slightly at the reprimand. Oh. Cultural disparities would raise its head now. It looked like he was going to have to go in more depth than just laws that have been placed down; it seemed behavioural patterns were needed as well. He should have expected this, considering Naruko hadn't been raised around the demonic culture. Now that he thought about it, he could recall some of the lessons on human politics and vague culture that had been arranged by his father when he was a pup. The only public displays of affection allowed, in humans minds, was hugs and chaste kisses. He pressed his nose against the side of her head to hide the upward pull of his lips. There was a lot to teach his mate._

_"Apologies, I forgot the social differences between our species, anata. In my culture, licking and nuzzling are two of the ways we show our affection, gratitude, and when the situation calls for it... Apologies; However, it is only reserved between lovers." He made sure to add the last sentence as an after thought; not wanting his mate to get the thought that these actions could be used with just anyone. He could practically hear the gears whirling around inside her head as she took a moment to regard the new information, her nose scrunched up slightly. He found the action surprisingly endearing._

_"Oh." He blinked at the response. He had been expecting questions flying his way at the speed of light, but the short response had him stumped for several moments. Maybe she just didn't see the need- he froze when she quickly leaned upwards in his arms, something small and wet trailing from his jaw until just beneath his eye. His eyebrows arched high on his forehead as his mind raced to keep up. His beast seemed to know what happened as he was rumbling a soft growl in approval. She had.. licked him? "Sorry, i hit you."_

_She licked him in apology... He attempted to wrap his mind around how she took the new information in and applied it without hesitancy. Most humans would be wary of preforming such an action, especially to a demon... and in public. Then again, Naruko wasn't like anyone he had ever met; personality or otherwise._

* * *

 

Inuyasha pulled Kagome closer to his side, not for comfort... more of a safety measure considering the tension in the air only seemed to get heavier with every second. The hut didn't allow much room to separate them to begin with considering the large number of people within; nonetheless, everyone made it a priority to get as much distance bewteen themselves and the stranger that had the issue with Sesshomaru himself. Inuyasha flicked his gaze over to see his brother's tense form and the passive expression across his face. Another mask was settled in place on the Inudaiyokai's face that was left for the group to attempt to break through after this stranger left. The first stoic mask wasn't easy, nor enjoyable, and Inuyasha wasn't looking forward to this one.

"You know, I should kill you myself."

The silence that had been stretching out for the past twenty minutes was finally broken with a sentence that only made everyone more wary of the situation. What the hell had Sesshomaru done to make the daiyokai so pissed? Inuyasha rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, feeling restless. The only one that seemed completely at ease, ironically, was the red-haired demon himself since he was reclined back against the wall as if he was about to sleep.. Even his eyes were partially closed.

"If you were going to kill me, you wouldn't have waited this long." Sesshomaru leaned back against the beam making sure to look the man directly in the eyes. It was considered a sign of challenge to look a demon straight on, but Sesshomaru wasn't about to back down simply because of his pride. All he really wanted at the moment was to have the red-head cut and run, so the memories that the man brought with him would leave as well. All the man was at the moment was a bad reminder of what once was and what could have been. He already had to deal with his brother and his annoying gang pickaxing, with their questions and obvious pity, through his memories.

He tried not to wince when the demon gave a sarcastic laugh that ended with a huff of air; he already had an idea of what was going through the man's head. "Yes, you should find yourself lucky that Inutaisho isn't going to be the one that will be burying you; she is the only reason you are still drawing breath."

Sesshomaru gritted his teeth at the unnecessary reminder. He knew that Kurama had only left his throat still intact was because of Naruko; the demon always had made it abundantly clear he never held a tender bone in his body for Sesshomaru, it wouldn't change anytime in the next eternity. It didn't bother Sesshomaru in the least, considering the only reason he had even met the nine-tailed demon was now dead. Naruko had been the only tether that tied the two daiyokai's together; with her gone, there was no reason to accompany one another.

Crimson eyes slowly surveyed the small space of the hut at the rest of the group. Shippo buried himself further into his mama's when the cold gaze slid across his body slowly with an intensity the made his hair stand on end. Unfortunately, the daiyokai's eyes stopped on Inuyasha beside where Shippo was sitauted in Kagome's lap.

"Taisho-chan had another mutt..."

Sesshomaru fought the long suffering sigh that wanted to escape as his little brother growled. Kurama was, technically, stationed above him in the hierarchy due to the nine-tails age and power. Kurama was the oldest demon in the demonic society, considered wiser than anyone; his political ideals and opinions usually out-weighed the Council's. It was fortunate that the demon tended to be a hermit because Sesshomaru's ideals and opinions differed from Kurama's by a long shot. He would rather rein over his kingdom himself and not be pushed to the backseat. Unfortunately, he still had to abide by the social niceties that was expected to be aimed towards a Bijuu.

"What the hell did you just call me?!" Inuyasha leaned forward suddenly, as if it had taken the handful of seconds for his brain to work with his mouth; it wouldn't surprise Sesshomaru in the least if that was the case. With his brother being a Hanyou, he would never be considered fit for the throne; therefore, the social niceties that bound Sesshomaru were non-existent for Inuyasha. Lucky.

"He's deaf too. What a wonder." Kurama's tone couldn't have gotten any drier than that. Miroku snorted in the attempt to hold down his laughter. The personality truly didn't match the demons visage. The red-head looked like he would be one of the lords that would wear the highest quality of silks and had servants that would attend to his every need. The uninterested drawl to his voice and the way he unashamedly sprawled out his body didn't befit the idea that he was a high-maintenance yokai. "Really, some marvelous genes your family carries."

Sesshomaru prided himself on the ability to keep a grip on his emotions. A proper lord doesn't allow his emotions to rein over him. It must have been due to the recent events straining him mentally, but something snapped at the sarcastic comment. What the hell? Sesshomaru had always strived to be respectful towards the nine-tails that had been close friends with his father. Why would Kurama disrespect his entire family? Kurama had always been what could be considered´close' to his father, even his grandfather, why would it be any different with Sesshomaru? Not that he wanted to be that close to the demon (especially how Inutaisho had been) but he would prefer the red-head to not be as brutal as he was. Granted, Naruko had changed the dynamics, or what would have been, of their relations quickly. To think that Kurama could have been his father-in-law... Sesshomaru swallowed at the thought.

"Genes that you have often voluntarily provided company with." The remark itself made Kurama's crimson orbs snap back to his own. Sesshomaru straightened his spine to a painful degree subconsciously, "What are you here for?"

Kurama set his body up at a painfully slow degree with a look that had Inuyasha moving backwards with Kagome in his grip. He had only seen that type of look when he had confronted Sesshomaru earlier that day; the look that screamed one word out of line would lead to an apocalyptic result. It was a look only daiyokai could pull off with the sheer intensity of a mountain; the look that made the air feel like molasses as it was painfully sucked through lungs that seemed too small. "Did they ever tell you how my Naruko died?"

If it hadn't been awkward before, there was no way it wasn't now. Miroku glanced over at Sango, warily. There was various ways this situation could go now, but in Miroku's opinion, none of them would be ending without bloodshed in some form. Shippo tugged gently on Kagome's sweater only allowing his hand to twitch slightly with the action in fear of calling either of the demons attention towards himself. When her brown eyes glanced down, he immediately pointed towards where he had seen the doorway earlier. He was not about to ask aloud and risk being overheard. With Kagome's little nod in comfirmation, Shippo nearly bounced out of her lap as he whipped around towards the door. However, the little excitement of freedom from the heavy tension within the hut quickly dissipated once he realized he would have to cross through both Daiyokai to exit who were currently looking ready to claw each other's throats out. Kagome apparently didn't notice his suddenly complication as she nudged him forwards nearly making him stumble. The distance to the door probably wasn't four foot away, but it might as well been a mile to Shippo whose legs were too short to cross with the same amount of steps that it would take for someone like Kagome.

Sesshomaru's saliva seemed to turn to glue as he attempted to swallow around the uncomfortable lump in his throat. The backs of his eyes involuntarily stung but he knew nothing would come of it; he refused to allow it."I would rather not speak of-"

"I asked you a question. And I will be getting answers." Inuyasha watched for the first time as Sesshomaru shifted his gaze downwards. It was like getting hit by lightening; the sudden realization of why the red-haired demon seemed to hold some dislike towards his brother. 'Naruko' had to be the girl that was in the picture Sesshomaru carried around; and some how this daiyokai knew the blonde woman. Shippo shifted nervously, his fur standing on end as he realized, if he didn't go now.. the situation was only going to get more intense. He closed his eyes as he forced his legs to run across the distance. He didn't stop running until he was at the edge of the forest, cold sweat broke out across his body at the intense change of atmosphere. Now, where had Rin-chan gone?

"No." The word was barely gritted out between his teeth and tasted like a bitter acid on his tongue. He didn't remember all the events that day too vividly, but he remembered the aversion to asking for the details of how or when, because her body had already been placed six-foot under by the time he arrived back to Kohona. The pain that revelation brought was enough to make his knees buckle. He didn't get the chance to say any proper goodbyes. Most of her belongings that had been in her apartment had been stolen or broken; the only thing that was salvagable was the picture from the festival taken two weeks before he had left. He had spent the past two centuries with the intense regret that he hadn't gathered enough courage to ask the hokage of the village the details to his mates death. While he hungered intensely to rip his claws and fangs into the person that took his mate from him (because there was no fucking way she passed from being ill), he feared knowing just exactly how he had failed her, how much pain she had to have been in. He wasn't particularly religious but he found himself subconsciously falling back on it. He knew praying for her to somehow be alive was foolish, so his prayers consisted of hoping her death had been quick and painless; that she didn't have the chance to realize what had happened.

It was like the red-head heard his thoughts and couldn't bypass the chance to viciously tear into it with all teeth and claws. "It wasn't quick or painless; definitely not unanticipated." The bite to the words didn't fail the nine-tails because it seemed his chest couldn't expand with the tightness that felt powerful enough to break his ribs; or maybe that was his heart attempting to punish him by the fast beats that felt like hammers coming down. "i had to be the one take her away from the pain as she bled out. Had to lie to my little girl that everything was going to be okay if she just closed her eyes before i was forced to take matters into my own hands." Kurama's fangs had lengthened. "You could have stopped it; prevented it all, had it not been for your cowardice."

Inuyasha watched as his brothers body gained the tension of steel, could practically feel the mixed emotions Sesshomaru felt in that moment. It was probably for that reason, he dismissed the glassy sheen of liquid built up on eyelids that didn't allow any casualties. And did this demon really just call his brother of all people a coward? The man feared practically nothing! Myouga had said Sesshomaru had been off in battle with some panther clan and had only found out the blonde had passed when he got back. How was it his brothers fault the girl died? He couldn't have known, even if he did, there was probably very little Sesshomaru could have done. Speaking from experience, Naruko was a sensitive festered wound that never healed for Sesshomaru, you don't stab at that type of injury.

"My _cowardice_?" Sesshomaru's voice was a low rumble that cracked in his chest. He looked ready to lunge the way his muscles were tensed. Inuyasha tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword, just in case he had to move quickly.

"You don't get to question me. You knew! You saw the way they treated her, how they viewed her!" Kurama's eyes narrowed in his anger. "All you had to do was claim Meitogado, she would have been safe!"

He was right. Meitogado should have been placed down once he learned of her shinobi status, when he saw her bruised form in the clearing and several other times that he was a hairs breath away from claiming the law, but something always stopped him. Getting Naruko to understand the laws that his father had placed down was one thing, but she always managed to talk him out of claiming Meitogado.

Inuyasha blinked as he took in the bits of information; it was obvious his brother was slowly digging himself a hole to crawl in. Myouga said that Naruko had been human; based on that small fact, she had to have lived in a village. "That wouldn't have guaranteed anything; to humans that's just a bunch of words they don't see applying to themselves. Our old man called Sesshomaru off to help fight against a clan; he couldn't have done anything even if he had know what was happening. He was too far away; so lay the fuck off him. Where the hell were you the whole time, if she mattered that much to you?"


End file.
